Morphosis
by Mr. Anderson-Welcome Back
Summary: In a universe where Halo's technology and events exist in the year 2013 (Ex: Halo: CE's events took place in 1952, instead of 2552(most Halo characters are dead)), an unknown threat lived in Titans Tower for years; all of the Titans were oblivious. The following story reveals the horrifying truth of the danger and its Morphosis. Rated T for intense violence and other stuff.
1. Prologue: So Far, So Bad

_**Part 1: Alien Insomnia**_

* * *

_**Prologue: So Far, So Bad**_

It was Mid June when it started to happen. The delirium, the convulsions,the nightmares, and the strange injuries that seemed to appear overnight. They consulted every top doctor and scientist from Oxford to Harvard, with no conclusion or answers. They all were wondering what was going on in her alien brain, but they, in truth, knew nothing about her anatomy, her biology, her chemistry, or even why or how she could be emotionally attracted to a different species, much less a different planet from her own. Some experts said it was bad hygiene, while others blamed it on some mutation in her DNA or genes, or something. Then, again, Starfire wasn't human or from Earth. Some even said it was domestic abuse, but they thought nothing like that could ever take place in the tower, between them. It was Starfire who had suffered through all of this. Sometimes, she'd wake up in a sweat, screaming, spitting up black goo, and having raging migraines and convulsions, and with her being an alien, her friends expected nothing less from her. She was being studied and treated in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. While the psychiatrists were running Starfire through several CAT scans, they ordered a new intern, Henry P. Didel, to call her friends to tell them to come pick her up in thirty minutes.

* * *

_**Titans Tower: 9:26 AM**_

_Ring..ring..ring...ring! _"Hello?" Robin answered the phone with unusual curiosity and tiredness. It was nearly seven forty-five when Henry called  
"Yes, am I speaking to Dick Grayson?", replied Henry.  
"Who wants to know?"  
"Uh...yes, this is doctor Henry Didel calling on behalf of your friend, Starfire."  
"Yes. Is she alright?"  
"Oh, yes, she's okay. She's in stable condition. I'm calling to tell you that she will be ready to be sent home in about half an hour."  
"Okay. Thanks for calling. Okay, bye." And they both hung up. Robin couldn't help but laugh at Henry's last name. Trying not to laugh, Robin said, "Okay,Mr. Diddle, will do. Bye." and he hung up. He then walked into the common room to find the rest of his friends watching the first season of Everybody Loves Raymond on DVD. Everybody was laughing and seeming to have a good time. They all were enthralled with laughter at one point, even the monotone and low-voiced Raven. They were watching the one where Raymond's dad, Frank, gets a deal writing comics for _Reader's Digest_.  
Robin then walked in the room and said, "Titans, a physician from Johns Hopkins, just called in about Starfire. He said she should be coming out of treatment in half an hour. We should head there, soon."

Starfire's friends headed to Johns Hopkins Hospital, the hospital she had been transferred to last week. It was the fourth one that month, but she was scheduled to be transferred to yet another hospital next month, a psychological center which had yet to be named to them; hopefully it wasn't an asylum. In the meantime, a specialist team of "dreamscapers", a team made up of an extractor, who extracts people's secrets through their dreams, an architect, who fills the dreamspace into which a dreamer brings a subject, a point man, who does the research for backgrounds on the subject, a forger, who is able to manipulate their appearance and a chemist, who makes the narcotics and sedatives used for the mission. At the core, an extractor is a classic con man – he creates a false set of circumstances that manipulate the subject into revealing his or her secrets. The difference is that those false sets of circumstances are created through dreams. The architect often fulfills the role of the dreamer during a heist, but the architect can also teach their designs to another to dream. A Forger is a social con person, able to make others think the forger is something other than they are. It imitates people's mannerisms – and in the dream world, even their very appearance. They are able to manipulate their appearance because in the dream world, a sleeper's body is a projection of their mind. With enough skill a forger can take a wide variety of appearances. The mission, and the operation, was aborted due to the fact that she was an alien, which evidently meant that most Human medicines had either little, no, or transverse effect on her system. After running a few more tests and screenings, she was sent home. On the way out, Robin realized that he forgot to pay the bill!

On the way back to the tower,she discussed and described, with great clarity, her condition. She said it was called Morphosis, one in a series of four life stages haer species has to endure. This stage was the second, and most violent, stage. As she delved deeper into its biology, her friends began to get worried, as she said she was rapidly evolving, and everyone of her species goes through this stage. "You humans call it 'metamorphosis', or 'transformation'?" She then pondered over what she had said and what she would say next with the coldest face anyone of them had seen on her. She then said after a moment of mind numbing silence, "Do you know why I stayed here, on Earth, long after our initial contact?"  
"No, why did you say?"  
"I stayed because I was blinded by your planet's beauty and hospitality."Her words shocked the others and met with gaping mouths, silent wtfs, and sinking hearts. The Titans all started to get emotional with their options. Even Raven, who usually showed no traces of any emotion, started to shed several tears. Cyborg, who couldn't believe what he was hearing, said, "No, no, no! This cannot be happening! You set us up!" he was now badgering Starfire and Robin, "If you hadn't screwed Robin, we wouldn't be in this mess! The two of you being in love, it disgusts me; the fact that an alien, such as you, Starfire, can even have the same bodily structure as a human astounds me. And you, Robin, are now apparently pregnant with an alien-human hybrid that's probably gonna come bursting out of your chest in a few hours, or something. Isn't that so, Starfire?"  
"Yes."  
" Hmm...I knew it. If we are to contain this thing inside of you, Robin, some must be expendable. It tears me so to do this." said Cyborg, ready to obliterate Robin with his sonic cannon. Starfire interrupted their argument. "No, please, stop arguing, both of you! I now know what I must do. If you are willing to save this race for the sacrifice of few sentient beings, then please, do so, now."  
Robin said back, "What do you mean, Starfire?"  
"I mean, you must kill me and yourselves in order to save your species."  
"No, I won't do it. I can't do it."  
"But, you must!"  
"Starfire, we won't abandon you! I...won't abandon you! I love you, Starfire!" Robin was now weeping. Starfire turned to face them all, then rebuddeled grimly with a smirk and a slight chuckle, "Then you are the weakest human I know, Robin. Since you are apparently not willing to sacrifice yourself, or others, then your species' fate is certain." Cyborg pitched back in,"What about me blowing both of you to bits?" For one reason or another, she agreed with him, for once,"Please, go right ahead." Robin then re-entered the conversation,"No, wait, no one has to die now." By then, no one could tell who to trust. In the back of his mind, Beast Boy thought of the suggestion of playing Russian Roulette, but he soon forgot about it, realizing that it was a stupid idea. Raven added on to Robin's point in her usual monotone voice with slight concern and a slight frown, "Either you're going insane, or you're completely sane and dying of this thing you're so exuberant about. It's actually quite funny how serious you are about this." They all stopped to turn and look back at Raven with curious looks and raised eyebrows. "What?", said Raven, then they all looked back at Starfire, anxiously awaiting what she had to say. "You do not understand! I am not dying; this is only one in a series of phases my species has to go through before transcending into adulthood. In humans case, it is like being a teenager." The other's faces became instantly filled with dread when Koriand'r said "one in a series of phases". Cyborg spoke up "Did you say 'more'?" Koriand'r replied,"Yes. And it is only going to get worse." The expressions on her friends faces signaled to her massive dread and angst. Trying to lighten the mood and change the subject, she suggested, "How about we all get some of those 'sand-witches' that are popular on Earth. I discovered a great pla -" without warning, Koriand'r started to have what seemed like a seizure and convulsions, causing her to fade in and out of consciousness. She staggered for a moment, trying to regain her balance, but the disorientation befell her, causing her to tilt and land face first on the carpet. As she laid there, her friends slowly gathered around her limp, but not dead, body that was sprawled out along the carpet in the common room...


	2. Chapter 1: Requiem

_**Chapter 1: Requiem**_

Starfire woke up, dazed and confused. She felt a sharp pain in the right side of her head. It felt, to her, like someone, or something was trying to crush her head, but she couldn't tell. For all she knew, she was hallucinating the couldn't say anything or move anywhere. She felt trapped, captured. "Where am I? What is happening to me?", her mind said to herself. As she slowly became more conscious, she realized she was being rolled down a long hall. It seemed as if she was in what the humans call a "hospital". She had been hospitalized! She started to panic. She struggled loose, but couldn't seem to get the mask off of her face. She looked around to see the doctors and her friends lunge towards her. As the humans were approaching her, they turned into what looked like mutant turtles, from the evidence she had gathered studying Earth's biology. She heard them mutter things in high pitched, but still masculine voices; at first, she thought they were slightly cute, that is, until one of them in red armor ran towards her and bit a chunk of flesh out of her calf muscle. She screamed in agony,wondering what happened to them. The one that bit her said in delight, "Mmmm...that yummy! Me want more!", and it took another bite out of her leg. Clasping her leg, trying to stop the bleeding, and trying to step backwards, she tripped, but was caught by something that felt like a wall. Turning around, she gasped as a tall, dark, grotesque figure wearing strange armor and a worn cloak and hood grabbed her and lifted her up by the neck so that they could see eye-to-eye, choke-holding her. It had bovine-shaped legs and a reptilian shape. The thing moved her around, inspecting her for whatever reason. It didn't have any features of her human counterparts. "Let me go, or I will destroy you!" Starfire said, angrily thrashing about. It laughed, finding Starfire's struggling humorous. It sounded very deep, rough, reptilian. She asked it, "What are you?" "Ni' jafla" It then started to talk in a language that was all too familiar to her. "Riok krushex diolan iuera, buotq'en ohleru ji." This sent a very human chill throughout her spine. She suddenly found herself speaking in the same language. "Aue?" It replied, "Ei ni' krorjka riok...wolool...Koriand'r." Her eyes widened and she gasped in horror. It felt like her heart skipped a few beats. She hadn't heard that name in years. It brought back gut-wrenching, nostalgic memories of her "former life". In fact, the only ones she knew who called her by that were her family and friends, and she didn't know who, or what, this was. With regret and unease, she slowly removed the hood from the creature's head. What was under the hood was something horrifying. It had a clover-leaf-shaped mouth, with four mandibles instead of jaws, and eyes as back as night. This thing looked intricate, ferocious, was huge in every definition, and looked dreadfully familiar to her. She started to let out her usual blood-curdling scream. Her scream startled the monstrosity, which caused it to rear its head. It proceeded to ram her into the wall. She felt her bones crack and crumble... and she woke up.

* * *

_**Titans Tower; Common Room  
6:30 AM**_

Cyborg was making breakfast for him and his teammates, with Robin supervising. Robin planned out the entire meal: one slice of everything for everyone; several large pancakes, twenty-five strips of bacon, (five strips per person), several large omelets, and two dozen doughnuts, (though that didn't seem to suffice either of them). Cyborg had been up all night making this giant feast, and he was nearing completion. Robin was up the night before setting out the breakfast plans. Neither of them could remember the last time anyone of the team sat down and leisurely ate a nice, large, breakfast together. Cyborg was about to mix into the pancake mix when he heard a loud clattering noise, then what sounded like a window being shattered. He ordered Robin to go check out what that noise was. With uncanny swiftness, and a curious face, Robin headed towards the noise. It sounded to him like it was coming from Raven's room.

He rushed into Raven's room, expecting a few broken glasses or a window, but everything was as it seemed (as far as he knew). The next thing he noticed was a scantily clad, and seemingly unaware, Raven. Without turning to face Robin, she looked up slightly, saying in a playful way, "Like what you see, boy?" Feeling like he had no choice but to reply, Robin said in a very embarrassed voice, "Y-yes-s...bu-ut, I...uh..."  
"But what? You gotta go see how your 'girlfriend' is doing?", Raven huffed, as if taunting him.  
"Uh..it's...um,ya-yes...uh,s-sorry...Raven."  
"Oh, that's fine, just fine, go do your thing." And with Raven's dismissal, Robin slowly backed out of the room feeling like either he or Raven had violated the sanctity of his and Starfire's relationship. When Robin was out of her room, Raven cheerfully reassured herself, "Someday, I _will_ have him, when that bitch alien's gone."

Robin continued to search for the source of the noise. He heard soft crying, screeching, and more cluttering noises; this time it seemed to be coming from Starfire's room. Robin hurried down the hall. He opened the door to her room to see a broken window, a trashed room, and a seemingly traumatized Starfire, on her knees, sobbing, and gasping for air. Her eyes were glowing green and bright. She stuttered, "H-help m-me...p-please!" Robin kneeled down over her and replied, in an equally depressing manner, "Help you with what?" With unexpected swiftness, Starfire pulled Robin, by his collar, down to the floor close and whispered into his ear, "Help me...help me kill...it."  
"What? Help you kill what?"  
"It haunts me, m-mocks me every night in...my s-sleep; i-it reminds me...that I am-am not welcome here. It reminds me that I _am_ an alien." And with that, she put her head to his chest, feeling his heartbeat. "What are you talking about? Of course you're welcome here." He combed his fingers through her hair, lovingly, trying to comfort her. She looked up at his face, which she thought was the most precious thing she had ever seen. "That is not what I mean. I mean _other_ humans mock me for being...inhuman." He felt shocked, but he kept a straight as possible face, trying to hold back any emotion, and told her,"They're wrong. They don't know you."  
"I feel like they do know me." Robin looked upon Starfire in disappointment, "Oh, my little star..." She began to become annoyed with the notion of "needing help". She said, "I do not need this 'help'. You are not understanding. My dreams are real."  
"How do you know what is real?"  
"How do _you_ know that this isn't a dream, or, in fact, are we in the Matrix!?"  
"You know what? I don't know, anymore."  
"Then choose! What are we in: a dream, the Matrix, or reality!?" Starfire was becoming frustrated, with Robin, with her teammates, with Humanity, with herself,"I do not wish to harm you, the others, or Humanity. I believe that I should do the 'getting lost' thing." To Robin, it seemed as if she had gone insane. He tried to calm her down, speaking as calm and as soothing as possible, " Starfire, please, calm down. There is no Matrix." She wrestled her way out of Robin's embrace, saying, "No!"  
"Please, listen to- "  
"_No!_"  
"S_top this madness, right now!"  
**"No, damn you! I will not calm down! I will not listen! I will not stop...this...this 'madness' you damn humans believe I have! I am not insane!"**  
_

By now the others were standing just outside the doorway, watching the kerfuffle. The argument came to a climax, with Starfire clutching Robin hard by the neck and dangling him precariously off the edge of her new balcony (it was the window she smashed). Robin tried to breathe "Starfire, let me go!"  
"Or what? Are you going to kill me?"  
Robin hung his head and replied, "I'll do what I must." She paused, almost as if she was paralyzed. She managed to say, "You will...try." Her mouth was gaped slightly open, as if she had just had a revelation, which she did; her mouth closed, and she slowly started to tear up, trying to hold back the tears. A few moments after her revelation, she threw Robin across the room and started to have a breakdown, and collapsed on her knees, almost as if she went into a massive depression with the words Robin last spoke to her. She clasped both of her hands over her face and sobbed, "Oh, by the prophets, what have I done!?" They all saw Robin struggling to get back up on his feet. They wanted to help, but they knew it was meant for them and only them. Robin answered her question, "I know what you did. You," Robin gave a sigh full of dread. "you betrayed me."  
"No!"  
"Yes, you did, Starfire."  
"No, please!"  
"It's too late for that sappy talk forgiveness bull crap."  
"I cannot forgive myself knowing that I nearly killed my dearest friend." She started to calm down, her voice becoming steadily lower. "Maybe you are right...maybe I do not understand. Maybe I am not meant for this team, or this world." Looking at Robin, she got back on her feet and slowly approached him, shaking her head in disappointment of herself. He slowly backed away. "Robin...I am as sorry as I can be, but what happened then can never be undone, so I-"  
"I know."  
"-I will be seeing you...later." She gave a sad smile and started to tear up, again. Confused, Robin asked what she meant. She answered in a subtle voice, "It means, I love you." Robin gave Starfire a curious glance, "What?" Without saying anything, and without warning, Starfire then clenched his right hand with hers, pulled Robin close, and before anyone could react, she grabbed his dagger and plunged it into her chest. She shuddered, then whispered into his ear, "I am sorry, love." She collapsed in a pool of her own blood, which happened to be the color purple. Just before she blacked out, she barely managed to utter, "I am...so...sorry."


	3. Chapter 2: The Ship

**_Chapter 2: The Ship (The Long Way)_**

* * *

**_Aboard the Bridge of the Sublime Transcendence, in Orbit around Gamma Halo_**

The Sangheili, Xytan 'Jar Watinree, was slouching in his seat and lazily giving orders in a tired, deep, reptilian voice. He was the shipmaster and owner of the Sublime Transcendence, and was short-tempered. Everybody on the ship called him "Captain" or "sir". No one dared called him by any of his actual names, for such action, for reasons beyond any human, is considered extremely hostile and is punishable by death. The Sublime Transcendence was en route to Earth. By the orders of the Prophets, which, under new rule, now answered to Pharaoh Trulesch, Xytan had been given the task to capture and bring back five things from Earth: a healthy male and female human, a dead, but still intact, male and female human, and a human-Sangheili hybrid. The last one, the thought of a Sangheili-human hybrid, disgusted him; the more he pondered over this, the possibility- the feasibility- of not only inter-species mating, but having been forced to mate with another species from another planet, caused him to experience a slight hangover the same day he had to prepare to go to Earth to do said task. He hadn't slept in days. What made it worse was that he had spent a long week killing Brutes, which made him exhausted, ill-tempered, and not in the mood for any mistakes the crew were bound to make. He desperately needed some sleep. "Prepare to jump to Earth, and wake me up when we arrive."  
"Yes, sir," gleefully replied a younger female Sangheili, named Gytin Maude (pronounced Geeten Maw); humans call female Sangheili warriors as "elitesses" or "elitists". The others, except the captain, called her "G'mod", reflecting how it was spelled. She was second in command, after Xytan, and beared the title of helmsman; she was also one of the few female Sangheili to be on a ship, or in their armed forces. Though everyone aboard the ship had been informed already, she asked shipmaster Watinree, "Where to, Captain?"

The shipmaster gave her an annoyed glare, sighed, then answered loudly, "I thought I- no, I _did_ tell you, Helmsman! If my memory is correct, which it is, I told _everyone_ on the bridge, and said over the intercom, 'Set a course for Earth' nearly half an hour ago, you grunt!" The shipmaster gazed at her for a moment and continued, "I know this, because when I said so, you replied 'yes, sir'. And, yes, I can remember little details like that."  
"Oh. I am most sorry, sir."  
"Your pity and forgiveness is not necessary. What is necessary, is for you to be at your post."  
The shipmaster put his hand over his face, in embarrassment and stress. Not even an hour, after setting a course for Earth, he had gotten a migraine from the incompetent crew.  
"Yes, sir." G'mod turned away, then turned back towards the shipmaster, and asked, "Just out of curiosity, why are we headed to Earth, sir? We have already signed a peace treaty with the humans. Many decades ago."  
" I know, but do not be worried. This is not an invasion, Helmsman. I just want to get to Earth, capture the insurgent, and leave with the Prophets' 'bounty' as soon as Sangheili-ly possible. Is that clear?"  
"Yes, Captain," said the helmsman still confused as to what they were doing. She managed to spurt out, "Wait...'Prophets'? What 'Prophets'?" The shipmaster slowly released another deep sigh, then pondered over what to say, next, in fear of what might happen. "I... was ordered by the new Prophets not to tell anyone, but, because you have been such a great asset to me over the past few years, Helmsman, I will give you only slight details, because I believe I can trust you to keep a secret. Can you do this?" The shipmaster gazed into her eyes, almost getting lost in their wonder.  
"Yes, sir," abruptly answered the helmsman. This startled the shipmaster, causing him to jump slightly. As he was trying to calm down, he answered her, "Good...good. After that, do not ask any more of the matter... do you understand?"  
"Yes, I do, Captain."  
" Good. All I know is that Patience thinks that some scientific biological attraction on one of the recently colonized planets," The shipmaster stared droning along. "I think it was called...Tamaran, or Talisman, or something," He then came back on the subject, "Anyway, some mutant hybrid creature has escaped and has fled for Earth, and has been living there for nearly," He leaned in towards what was apparently one of the elitist's ears, whispering, "For nearly _ten years_!" She staggered back slightly, with a gasp. The shipmaster continued, "For one reason or another, he sent us to find it, retrieve it, deliver it to the Prophets, and if necessary, kill it." The elitist seemed awestruck, and said, "Whoa!"  
"Hey," the shipmaster made a rapid, low clicking noise at her, then sternly said, "I do not wish to discuss it any further, other than the fact that I 'd prefer to kill it. Besides, the details are very 'kept' beyond that point," the shipmaster started talking silently to himself "Somehow, if the Prophets believe they can keep their dirty work hidden from me, or the Sangheili, then they are most blind, by their lust for power and inconsideration for other life forms. These 'New' Prophets are as corrupt, if not more corrupt, than the formers, Truth, Mercy, and Regret." The helmsman interrupted, "That planet is hiding something. Something important enough to get the new Prophets' attentions. With all due respect, Captain, I need to know what that thing is." He could've killed her where he stood, but instead, he gave the helmsman a smart-ass-sounding huff, almost a laugh, and reassured her, "Do not worry, Helmsman. You are sure to find out when we get there," he then asked her a redundant question for what they were discussing. "Besides," said the shipmaster, "Why must you know so soon, when you will find out whether I tell you now or later?" The helmsman answered, "I need to know in order to know just what we- or what you are hunting, just in case something unexpected were to happen during the target's extraction, and because I overheard some of the crew discussing about what the target might be."

The shipmaster was startled by this, and said, "They are doing what!? They are discussing this already?"  
"I promise, I informed no one at all...maybe one of them overheard us conversing the matter."  
"Whatever it was, do what you must to silence them, Gytin."  
She became shocked. "Do you mean kill them?" Annoyed by her cluelessness, the shipmaster cried out, "Oh, by the gods! Must I explain everything word for word for you simpletons? I mean, make them stop talking about it."  
"Oh, sorry, right away, captain."  
"Good. Now let me sleep!" While Gytin was trying to quiet the crew members, a different Sangheili, a smaller but still burly one, got over the intercom and said, "Now preparing to jump into slip-space. All infantry personnel, get to the dropships. Repeat, preparing to jump to slip-space. All infantry personnel, get to the dropships." The speaker had to have been a female, and if so, she was the first and only one to be in a war situation. The ship suddenly lurched through the slip-space rupture. Moments later, on the other side, a strange ringed planet slowly came into view. Furious with the mistakes of the crew, Xytan yelled, "Where are we, gods damn it!? This isn't Earth!?" One of the deckhands answered quietly,"I-I do not know, sir...I-"  
"Then find out!"  
"I-I think we missed the point." Now pent up with anger, Xytan lashed out at them in the form of sarcasm, "Really!? I thought we were around Earth's orbit, considering that there is not Earth out that window, but a giant ringworld! You scientists are useless! You degenerates whimper like grunts fresh off the teat." The shipmaster mumbled under his breath, "Either that, or I should hire new ones." he sighed, "How far away from Earth are we?" One of the crew members answered, "Right now, we are about 8 AUs away from Earth, but it will most likely change by the time we arrive there."  
"What are 'AUs'?"  
"They are astronomical units."  
"Oh. good. Well, then, when we approach Earth, activate the cloaking device and knock out their radar signals and satellites, land near the south pole; my research indicates that the population, and temperature, in that area is constantly near zero; then, order all infantry personnel to board all dropships and phantoms. Make sure all infantry personnel have operational active camouflage and every dropship and phantom has a stable cloak, and, just in case, put all fighters and dropships on standby, please, incase we run into any human satellites or probes."  
"Will do, captain."  
"Get someone to configure the ships' cloak...oh, and one more thing, make sure to knock out all communications and radar systems once we get in range of their planet. This is a covert operation, and I want it to stay that way."  
G'mod gave an affirmative nod to the captain and got over the intercom, giving the orders, "All infantry personnel, this is a reminder to check into all corresponding offices about your active camouflage. You have an hour's notice. We will be reminding you consistently, so get your active camouflage rebooted and or updated, and if you have none, well, then, get some as soon as possible. And another thing."  
"What is it, Captain?"  
" When we arrive near Earth, make sure to head for its south pole. I understand He turned back to the shipmaster to get permission to leave.  
"Now, I am going to try to get some sleep. I had a long week, and I desperately need sleep. Someone wake me up when we near there."  
"Yes, captain." G'mod discussed with two crew members, an engineer, and a scientist about something and then spoke over the intercom,"We are out of slip-space." Something was amiss. they had yet to reach Earth. Wondering where they were and how long the journey would take to arrive to Earth, Xytan asked a different Sangheili, a scientist, named Cyr Tsi, referred to as Xerxes. This one was slightly smaller and less burly than the usual ones found in combat, about the mass of a human. "Where in our Lords' creations are we, Xerxes?"  
"We are passing the ring world, Caeus, Captain. The humans call it 'Saturn'."  
"I don't give a damn about what they call it, Xerxes. What is this ship's maximum speed?"  
"About 8000 knots, so we will arrive at Earth's south pole in about ... one week, or eight Earth days."  
Xytan's face became filled with dread now knowing that he will have to spend a full week in his ship. "Then, why can we not just start up the slip-space engines and make a jump for Earth from here?"  
"I am sorry to disappoint you, but we cannot jump to Earth when the ship is as close as it is. If attempted, we would be bound to be detected by the humans. In fact, just as a precursor, I believe you should engage the ship's cloaking device as soon as possible if we wish not to be detected."  
"Fine. I will do so as soon as possible."  
"Thank you for considering my opinion, for once." And with that, the scientist left the ship master to his own will. Though Xytan had fallen in love with his ship, it was nerve wracking just to think about being on a ship, even his own, with almost no food and nearly a million others trying to get by. He said,"I hope there is enough food to keep everyone on board from starving and cannibalizing for a week."  
"So do I," replied the scientist that had been discussing with him earlier.  
"In that case, Gytin, come here!"  
"Yes, captain?"  
"Get on the intercom and tell the passengers what happened, now."  
"Right away, sir." and with that, Gytin got over the intercom once more and said, "Attention, attention. Everyone, there has been a slight malfunction or miscalculation with the slip-space drive. Notice, when you look out to your right, you will notice, not Earth, but some kind of large ringed planet. Our estimates are showing that we will be arriving to Earth in nearly eight days." Some of the Sangheili were clamoring,"So, did we just do that for nothing?" and "I could have stayed in bed today!"

In his chair, the captain announced to everyone who was on the bridge at that time, "I am leaving to my quarters for some much-needed rest. I am leaving my second in command, Helmsman/ Commander Gytin Maude, to command and watch the ship until I awaken from my slumber." Gytin gleefully thanked the captain, "Thank you, Captain,for this great task you have bestowed upon me."  
"You are welcome. And while you are in command, call me 'Xytan'."  
"I will not let you down, Xytan." Xytan replied to her, "Atta girl!" And with that, the captain retreated to his quarters for a long, much-needed slumber. When the captain left the room, Commander Maude climbed up and into the shipmaster's seat. She finally had achieved one of her major goals in life: earn the rank of shipmaster, if only for awhile. She started giving orders, "As you were, crewmen."...


	4. The Hospital Room (Meanwhile, on Earth)

**_The Hospital (Meanwhile, on Earth)_**

* * *

_**Jump City Sky Hospital; 9/04/2013, 7:52 PM**_

* * *

_**Room #369  
Patient #104  
Patient Name: Chelsea Korin  
Time Inserted: 7:31 PM  
In need of: Blood Transfusion/CAT Scan/Quarantine  
Scheduled Time/Date of Operation: 7/06/2013, 8:00**_** PM**

Chelsea Korin was the pseudonym the Titans chose to call Starfire when they transmitted her to Jump City Sky Hospital (more commonly referred to as the "Skyspital"), which was positioned half a mile above the roof of Jump City's grounded hospital. The room informative should have had her date of birth imprinted, as well, but these kinds of hospitals didn't ask as many questions as grounded ones, and weren't nearly as invasive as other ones (which brings to mind the fact that nearly all operations were performed by robotic arms, tools, and utilities). It was a very laid back place, considering what it was. Instead of the walls being painted the regular white with occasional lines of red and/or blue, this place was painted with actual colors, the first floor level lobby being dull blue, the second being dull yellow, and the third, the level in which a Titan was indefinitely bedridden, was crimson red.

Starfire's doctor, Dr. Hayes, had just administered 19 mg of morphine and sedatives, which apparently was sulfur, to calm her down and atrophy her muscles. Every Titan was circled around the bedridden Starfire, who was about to have a blood transfusion. Robin, of course, was the one nearest her, being nervous for what might go wrong, yet excited for her relatively rapid recovery and hoping, if not praying, that this will be the end of their ordeal. Of course, they were wrong.

She was disoriented from the morphine the doctors had injected into her. Her actions were very soft and light. Her eyes were half-closed. Raven was the first to speak up. She said, with a smirk, "So...Chelsea. HA! Uh, how do you feel?" Starfire answered, "Agh! I...I feel much pain in my neck and my abdomin." Raven replied, "So, you're doing okay?" Starfire winced in pain, sighed, then continued, " I am, or at least for my condition," she gave a sigh of dread, "I thank you all for staying by my side in my time of 'contraception'...but, I can't help but think that I'm not needed, if not wanted here."  
"What do you mean, Star?" Beast Boy asked, wondering what happened the other day.

"I think I am needed somewhere else, somewhere that gives me enough purpose to exist." Cyborg hinted to them, "Maybe you're just confused, or maybe it's the sulfur setting in." Starfire slowly craned her neck in Cyborg's direction, her eyes now fully open and surprised, "Wait...what? Sulfur!? They gave me sulfur? Without any of you knowing?" Robin explained, "It's standard medical procedure, it's legitimate."  
"It is for humans! But, what about me!? It could kill me!"  
"Starfire, just breathe, You're gonna be fine." Raven said. With her friends restraining her, Starfire tried to struggle out of the hospital bed, but to no avail. "No, no! I must leave now! You're gonna kill me!"  
"Doctor Hayes! Get in here, and this time, bring actual sedatives!" Starfire realized she couldn't shrug them off like she used to. She commented frantically, "There's something in that medication, is there not!? What is it? A tranquilizer? Muscle relaxer!? Perhaps morphine!? What in Seraph's name is in that!?" The doctor came running in, with enough iodine to kill an elephant. As Starfire was struggling, Dr. Hayes prepared to inject her with the entire batch of iodine (which was 100 g) and answered her question, "Actually, it's a mixture of all of that; the combined effect should be numb, weak, and drowsy, while being conscious enough to know your reactions... I will also add marijuana to it if in ten minutes, you aren't 'mellow', it will knock you out for four to six hours."  
"Forty six hours!?" Starfire exclaimed. Dr. Hayes replied,"No, I said ' four _to _six hours',ma'am." and proceeded to inject her with said medication. Starfire let out a blood-curdling scream-that turned into some kind of roar or screech. This caused everyone to jump a foot backwards, all of them bug-eyed and in shock of what just happened.

Robin exclaimed in confusion and shock, "What are you!?" Starfire was wriggling, thrashing about, and having an episode. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head briefly, came back, and turned yellow. Blood spilled and sputtered from her mouth and splattered all over the bed and the floor. She looked up and felt the middle of her lower jaw. She felt a deep dent, gasped, and blacked out, probably from all of those meds that were admitted into her. "Holy crap," exclaimed Beast Boy. Feeling that he was being insensitive,Raven slapped him on the back of the head and muttered, "Quiet you, and show some respect, if not decorum."  
"Some _decorum _?"  
"I'll explain later. Now, hush!"  
They all slowly gathered closer to Starfire's unconscious self. Robin, stricken by grief, collapsed onto his knees, clenched Starfire's limp right hand, put his head up to it, and started to weep. OIt made the scene even more morbid than needed...


End file.
